Shaft lock



Patented July 30, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SHAFT LooK Charles Heinz'e, Sumner, Wash. Application May 12, 1939, Serial No. 273,274

3 Claims.

rolling down-hill but permitting its motion up hill. Additional objects of my invention are to provide a selective pair of controls whereby such locking action may be either against rearward or forward motion of the car, as desired; which will automatically return the control to neutral position when released; and which is simple and cheap to manufacture, easy to operate, and effective in use.

I attain these and other objects as may appear when the specification is studied, by the devices, mechanisms, and arrangements illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which- Fig. l is a section, partly in elevation, of the shaft control mechanism; Fig. 2 is a partial crosssection thereof, taken in the line 2-2, in Fig. l; and Fig. 3 is an end elevation of the control operating mechanism.

,,,Similar numerals of reference refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

Referring to the drawing, which shows the shaft-locking means and the control means alcne, it will beseen that the propeller shaft of the 30 car passes centrally through the locking means,

and is providedwith a solid drum 2 concentricallyikeyed or otherwise fastened thereto. This drum 2 turns freely with the shaft l within a fixed annular body 3. This main body 3 is of substantially the same width as the length of the said drum 2 and surrounds the said drum 2 and is securely fastened at a convenient place to the chassis of the car. The central hole, within which the drum 2 freely rotates, is provided with a plurality of chambers 4 (four are shown) each of which opens into the space within which the drum 2 rotates. The outer walls 5 of these chambers 4 are curved in such manner that they are deeper, radially of the center of the shaft, at the center than at either end as clearly shown in the drawing. The said main body 3 is provided with an arm 6 extending radially and preferably horizontally therefrom, said arm 6 forming the fixed reaction point against which the'control mechanism works.

A pair of side closure plates 1 are mounted, concentric with the shaft l, on each side of the main body 3 and are secured together by means of bolts 8 passing through spacers 9 between the lugs ill of the said plates 1. One or both of the said plates I is secured to a boss ll through which the shaft I passesin bearing relationship. The

two plates 1, being secured together by the said bolts 8 and being free from, though closing the ends of the central opening of the main body 3,

act as one body and are capable of slight rotary adjustment about the axis of theshaft i and in relation to. the main body 3. These plates 1 are provided with holes 12 adapted to loosely receive the trunnions R3 of the hereinafter de, scribed rollers M. These. rollers I l comprise cylindrical bodies with short trunnions i3 extending coaxially from their ends. Each roller 14 is substantially as long, axially, as the width orthickness of the drum 2 or the fixed main body 3. The trunnions. I3 lie in the holes l2 in theplates l and their position within the chambers 4 is controlled by the angular position of the two said plates 1 about the axis of the shaft i.

The plates 1 have parallel arms l5 extending outward therefrom on each side of the abovedescribed arm 6 of the main body 3. An enclosing loop or bridge I6 is secured to both the said arms iii of the plates 1, said bridge extending around the said fixed arm 6 and suitably spaced therefrom. A pair of similar springs ll are mounted between the inner top and bottom sides of said loop l6 and the top and bottom sides of said arm 6, respectively, and tend to hold the said arms [5 in central, or neutral, position in relation to the main body 3, as shown, at which time the saidrollers [4 are positioned at the centers of said chambers 4 and out of clamping contact with the walls 5 thereof. However, it is readily understood that, upon a movement of the arms l5 upward or downward, in relation to the arm 6, the said rollers M will be moved out of said neutral position in left-hand or righthand rotation (Fig. 1) and will clamp between the wall 5 and the periphery of the drum 2 if 0 the drum is turning in a left-handor right-hand rotation, respectively, but will not so clamp if the drum 2 is turning in a right-hand or lefthand rotation, respectively. It is, of course, understood that the trunnions I3 are loosely mounted in the holes I2.

The mechanism for controlling the position of the arms l5'in relation to the arm 6 is briefly described as follows: The fixed arm 6 is provided with two brackets 18 and [9 extending laterally and upwardly and downwardly from its outer end, respectively. These arms l8 and I9 are provided with fulcrums or pivots 20 and 2|, respec tively, at their outer ends, on which the reversed bell-crank levers 22 and 23 are pivoted. The

horizontal arms of the respective bell-crank levers 22 and 23 are pivoted to the upper and lower ends of a link 24 which operatively engages a cross-bar 25 by a sliding connection, said crossbar being secured to the ends of the arms I5, While the free ends of the said bell-crank levers are connected by rods 26 and 27, respectively, or by other suitable means, to a suitable actuating means (not shown) which may comprise levers, pull knobs or other means preferably mounted on the instrument board of the car.

Thus it will be seen that by actuating the rod 26, the bell-crank lever 22 is actuated to depress the link 24 and the cross-bar 25 and the arms I5, the pivot 2i} being fixed in position, thus turning the plates 1 in a right-hand or clockwise direction, as viewed in Fig. 1, and moving the rollers M to engage the wall 5 and the drum 2 to prevent a further clockwise motion of the drum 2 and shaft I, while permitting a free counterclockwise rotation thereof; while'if the other rod 27 is pulled, the bell-crank lever 23 acts to raise the link 24 and cross-bar 25 and the arms i5, the pivot 2i being fixed in position, thus turning the plates 7 in a counterclockwise direction and moving the rollers Hi to engage the wall 5, on the other side of the center, and the drum 2 to prevent a further counterclockwise rotation of the drum 2 and shaft I while permitting a free clockwise rotation thereof. This invention may be used, therefore, when a traific stop on an up-grade causes the car to be stopped, the clutch being first thrown out of action, and the brake applied, then the proper rod 26 or 21 may be pulled to prevent the car from rolling backward, and then releasing the brakes, so that the car will be free to travel forward as soon as the clutch is again thrown into action. Or, in case it is desired-to park the car on a down-grade, the other rod 26 or 21 may be pulled to lock the car against forward motion until it is released by pushing said rod into neutral position.

It is of course, to be understood that many variations of my above-described invention may be made without departing from the spirit thereof as outlined in the appended claims, the preferred form having been shown and described, and that the words and terms used in the description and claims are to be given their most generic meaning permitted by the present state of the art.

Having, therefore, described my invention what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. In a reversible shaft lock, the combination with a fixed main annular body through which the shaft passes, said annular body having inward opening chambers, the radial depth of said chambers being greatest at their central points and decreasing therefrom on each side; a drum mounted on the shaft and within said main annular body; a pair of closure plates mounted concentric with said shaft and adjustable about its axis, one said plate being mounted on each side of said fixed main body and said drum; rollers mounted within said chambers and adapted to contact the periphery of said drum and. to engage the walls of said chambers at points on either side of the central radius thereof; coaxial trunnions extending from the ends of said rollers, said trunnions loosely engaging holes in said closure plates; a fixed reaction arm extending radially from said fixed body; a pair of parallel arms extending from said closure plates on each side of said fixed arm; a metallic loop joining said parallel arms together and surrounding said fixed arm; equal springs mounted between said loop and the upper and lower sides of said reaction arm, whereby said closure plates are maintained in neutral position; and reversible adjusting means mounted on said fixed arm and connected to said parallel arms whereby said parallel arms may be adjusted in relation to said fixed arm to move said rollers out of said central positions to engage the walls of said chambers and the drum, whereby the shaft is locked from rotation in one direction.

2. In a reversible shaft look as set forth in claim 1, wherein said adjusting means comprises a lever pivoted to said fixed reaction arm, a link connecting an arm of said lever to said parallel arms; and an operating rod connected to another arm of said lever.

3. In a reversible shaft look as set forth in claim 1, wherein said adjusting means comprises a pair of levers each pivoted to said fixed reaction arm, one on each side thereof, a link connecting corresponding ends of said levers and attached to said parallel arms, and separate tensile operating means connected respectively to the other ends of said levers, whereby when one said operating means is pulled the parallel arms are moved in one direction and when the other operating means is pulled the parallel arms are moved in the opposite direction.

' CHAS. HEINZE. 

